Staff AI Engineer - MCP Services

DatadogDatadog·Remote(Portugal, Remote)
Software Development
Excel

WFA Digital Insight

The demand for AI engineers skilled in agent integration and evaluation frameworks has grown significantly, with the market expecting a 25% increase in job postings by 2027. As companies like Datadog invest in AI-powered solutions, professionals with expertise in applied AI, agentic programming, and tool surface development are in high demand. With the rise of remote work, companies are looking for candidates who can work autonomously and drive innovation in fast-paced environments. Datadog stands out for its commitment to hybrid workplaces and employee growth, making this role an attractive opportunity for those looking to advance their careers in AI engineering. Before applying, candidates should be prepared to showcase their skills in building evaluation frameworks, designing tool surfaces, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Job Description

About the Role

The Staff AI Engineer position at Datadog is a critical role in the company's efforts to scale its MCP Services, an interface that enables external agents and internal Datadog AI Agents to interact with Datadog data. As a Staff Engineer, you will lead efforts to improve the public-facing MCP server, enabling intelligent agents to discover and interact with Datadog services. You will be part of a team that is driving the next generation of agent-tool interaction models, working in a fast-evolving space with high impact.

The MCP team is responsible for developing and maintaining the tools and interfaces that enable agents to interact with Datadog data. As a Staff Engineer, you will play a key role in defining the direction of the MCP team and ensuring that the tools and interfaces developed meet the needs of both internal and external agents.

What You Will Do

  • Lead efforts to improve the public-facing MCP server, enabling intelligent agents to discover and interact with Datadog services
  • Design and implement agentic tool surfaces tailored for evaluation and production use across a wide variety of AI agents
  • Build and maintain advanced evaluation pipelines for measuring agent performance on Datadog workflows
  • Investigate and resolve failure cases by analyzing tool output, improving query parsing, and enhancing agent feedback mechanisms
  • Collaborate across Applied AI and internal teams to align on shared standards for tool integration and data access
  • Develop and maintain documentation for the MCP server and tool surfaces
  • Participate in code reviews and ensure that the codebase is maintainable, efficient, and follows best practices
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in applied AI, agentic programming, and tool surface development
  • Contribute to the development of the next generation of agent-tool interaction models
  • Work closely with the product team to ensure that the tools and interfaces developed meet the needs of both internal and external agents

What We Are Looking For

  • Experienced Staff-level engineer with a strong background in applied AI, agentic programming, and/or the following: LLM-powered automation pipelines, LLM orchestration frameworks, Agent orchestration and tool-use systems
  • Comfortable working in high ambiguity and fast-changing environments; able to define and prioritize direction autonomously
  • Skilled in building evaluation frameworks for LLM agents or AI systems, including metrics design and data instrumentation
  • Strong systems thinking, able to reason across multiple agents, tools, and user scenarios
  • Passionate about pushing boundaries in agent-augmented software and eager to shape evolving interfaces
  • Demonstrated ability to use AI coding tools in day-to-day workflows and validate, critique, and refine AI-generated output
  • Experience working with the MCP standard or contributing to agent-compatible tooling surfaces
  • Familiarity with building and evaluating ReAct agentic loops

Nice to Have

  • Experience working with LLM-powered automation pipelines and LLM orchestration frameworks
  • Knowledge of agent orchestration and tool-use systems
  • Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, or CrewAI
  • Experience contributing to open-source projects related to applied AI and agentic programming

Benefits and Perks

  • Generous and competitive benefits package
  • New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan
  • Continuous career development and pathing opportunities
  • Employee-focused best-in-class onboarding
  • Internal mentor and cross-departmental buddy program
  • Friendly and inclusive workplace culture
  • Flexible working hours and remote work options
  • Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools

How to Stand Out

  • Familiarize yourself with the MCP standard and agent-compatible tooling surfaces before applying
  • Showcase your skills in building evaluation frameworks and designing tool surfaces in your portfolio
  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI coding tools and how you validate, critique, and refine AI-generated output
  • Highlight your ability to work autonomously and drive innovation in fast-paced environments
  • Research Datadog's products and services to understand how your skills can contribute to the company's mission
  • Prepare to discuss your experience with collaborative development and code reviews

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